Category Archives: Free Form

Post navigation

I’m truly sick of all the divisive, argumentative posts that I see day after day about race.

I don’t disagree with what the facts suggest. Prejudice exists on every side. It pains me to see that. Nearly every post related to the recent “race wars” I’ve seen from my friends and associates have contained prejudice.

We (the human race; not racially divided communities) need to be brave enough to step out from behind the cowardice curtains of prejudice and entitlement and learn how to respect one another because we are fellow humans.

We are ALL put in this earth with the same ultimate purpose: to become like our Father in Heaven. The only prejudice that exists after this life is against sin.

That’s what I stand for. That’s what I believe in. That’s what I do my best to act upon.

A couple years ago I was at a desperately low period of life. I wanted to get out of my rut and start being better. I wanted to feel successful. As I often do, I turned to some of my regular social media outlets for uplifting and inspiring thoughts. That’s when I came across this TED talk by Shawn Achor:

While on my lunch break today I came across this video from SoulPancake that brought me back to that time when I overcame so much by doing what seemed to be so little:

So just in case any of you have a “case of the Mondays”, I thought this would be an appropriate topic to help you reconcile what’s left of your day with some positive thoughts! So what are you waiting for? Be happy and be successful!

What does it mean to have a ‘human experience’? What is the ‘human experience’? How can we create ‘human experiences’?

I spent a large portion of my last Sunday morning with tears building up in my eyes as I was reading articles and watching videos online from various sources that all touched on our ‘human experience’. They showed a variety of ways in which we are all engaged in the ‘human experience’ (at least as it’s understood by most under the vast umbrella of what we might classify as a human experience).

So, what does it mean to have a ‘human experience’? I think we would all give varying definitions of what the ‘human experience’ is. Which makes me think there’s probably a better way to phrase my initial question; possibly: What does it mean to have a ‘human experience’ to me?

Answering this question for myself, I would say it is creating a source of accountability; taking responsibility for my thoughts, words, and actions. My answer may be a bit vague and disenchanting for some, but I’ll introduce you to an emerging social company that I believe will better explain what I mean.

SoulPancake is by far one of the most engaging ventures I’ve experienced that would fall under the genre of creating and exploiting the ‘human experience’. Whether they are on the street evoking simple movements that can bring a grown man to tears or in their “Happiness Lab” using people as human guinea pigs to see what causes happiness, SoulPancake asks the hard questions and bring us face-to-face with the thing who’s very definition is so elusive: the ‘human experience’.

I’ve been confronted by these grand questions regarding our lives often in my recent history: when I was investigating The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, when I reached my emotional limits as my former spouse decided she could no longer be with me, and when I found love again in the arms of my best friend/ current spouse. These questions come at us in different times and for different reasons, but for most of us they come unannounced and without apologies.

Share what it mean to you to have a ‘human experience’ and some of your own ‘human experiences’!